| Show IN THE SAMOAN ISLANDS one year has passed away since that destructive storm at this place which caused so much loss of life and property in the german and american navies the signs of that event are still very prominent and to a stranger entering the apia abia harbor for the first timis time hia heart is apt to beat somewhat faster at the sight eight before him the first object that attracts the eye is an immense egg shaped body on the reef which at low tide is high and dry above water As you draw nearer this object is recognized to be the remains of a large vessel which has been cast up out of the sea it lies fairly on its side with the oval shaped bottom facing the sea and presenting a most peculiar sight with its deck changed from a horizontal to a perpendicular position this vessel was once the adur of the german navy her companion the eber abw was literally smashed to pieces against the reef and there aree are still till great pieces out of hermides her sides sticking in the sand on the beach the most mournful sight of all is the wrecks of the american flagship trenton and her consort the vandalia the la ter was the first to be driven by the wind and waves against the reef and then the trenton which is a much larger vessel was driven broadside against her As a result the vandana was crushed between the larger vessel and the reef and now lies with only the point of her bow and broken masts above the water while the huge black body of the trenton seems far enough above the water to float taken altogether the scene is a sad one although a year au subsequent to the occurrence and it is very suggestive of the power behind the elements and teaches us that with the W wind ind waves and other forces at his command the lord can bring about mighty changes there are no large vessels in apia abia at the present time and only one man n of war in these waters that 0 one is the american adams adamo which L is lying at pago pago harbor for safety so she comes here for the mail but at the slightest sign of ao an approaching storm seeks refuge in land locked pago pago during buring the lat laa year two japanese trading ships came to these islands they remained in pago pago two weeks and then came to ta aliis ds place but were so frightened at the sight of wrecked vessels that they immediately left for safer waters we happened to be in pago pago when the japs were there and met a number of thern them who could speak very good english among their passengers was a re reporter arter of the he tokio public opinion wl the e first question he asked was Is it true that there is a man in utah who has one hundred wives we answered his question and gave him a few facts and figures about utah and the mormons cormons Mor mons which he jotted down in his note book for the benefit of those who read the tokio TZ opinion in company with the reporter we visited one of the japanese men of war and were shown the guns large and small of various designs and strength both vessels were made in england for the japanese government and are fitted up with all modern even their cooking is in done after the european style in our ignorance of the rapid march of the japanese in modern civilization we expected to see foreigners on their vessels teaching them the science of steam navigation but we were mistaken they are capable of run running ni ng their own vessels it seems to be a part of the nature of every Japanese or a result of their training to be on the watch continually for something new they are fast becoming great travelers filled with a desire to find something that will benefit their country if they lack originality they certainly are not slow to copy things they consider good in others their ships are english they dress like germans and their coins are am like ours even to the nickel which is marked 1145 6 sen 11 we had the pleasure of bearing our testimony to quite a number of this ibis interesting people some of whom have accepted modern christianity and others who still adhere to the che faith of their forefathers we gave them the written articles of faith and several said we would be pleased leased to have you bring your religion to japan 0 between fifty and sixty ago the london missionary society sent missionaries to te samoa and for about thirty years were left undisturbed by other religious bodies then came the catholics from france who during the last twenty five years have succeeded in causing a division in many a and in some places the they y have the entire population it 11 J is a common thing to flee two church buildings in one small village one protestant and the other catholic the protestants are still in the majority but in my opinion the catholics are gaining fast the circumstances are favorable to them as they have everything to gain and it is a well known fact that they seldom lose a convert after they once get their mark on him the mysterious rites and ceremonies of the catholic church take well with the simpleminded simple minded natives and they love to wear around their necks a rosary with a large bright cross atit attached ached to it after more than half a century of protestantism and 25 years of catholicism we find it uphill up hill work to spread the true gospel however the work of the lord is progressing here and he blesses our labors from time to time with those who are sincere and honest in heart many apply for admission desiring their financial condition to be bettered thereby while others who sincerely believe dare not join us for fear of losing their earthly possessions as they are bound body and soul to babylon A favorite mode of campaign among the catholics to is to loan money on a native natives Is land which almost invariably is not repaid then the land belongs to the church and the former owner will very likely become a catholic and live subject to the church on their property the catholics also als furnish medicine free to their members while the protestants charge for the same this may seem a small item but it has a great weight in adding numbers to the catholic church we seldom have an opportunity of bearing our testimony to the catholics but usually get a hearing among the protestants mears pratt and murray two members embers In of the london missionary society have published a tract in the samoan language entitled the history of the mormon church Is tn in it they repeat the old lies about blood atonement the Danl canites Da tes mountain meadow massacre etc nud also state that they know the book of mormon to be a co copy of the ipg story in n perfect harmony with the above is their beir closing exhortation to the natives saying all manner of evil about us and telling them that their former condition of heathenism would be preferable to what we would teach them this tract has been scattered allover all over samoa and works both ways as a hindrance in some places and an aa assistance in others to our progress what we seem to lack are missionaries sion aries a knowledge of the native language and printed tracts in the same the first we understand are coming the second can be acquired through diligence and hard bard study and the third to is ready for the press president dean having just completed the manuscript of a large tract that we hope will reach many thousands of this people where we are not permitted to preach we get our newspapers regularly and manage to keep posted on what the outside world is doing our faith is strengthened to see the purposes of the lord and the words of his prophets being fulfilled among all nations and we mourn for all those who persist in persecuting the saints of goland in saying all manner of evil against them may the lord bless his saints in every land and give them strength according to the trials they have to paw pass through NEMO apra APIA upolu samoa march |
